


Rewrite the Stars

by momopichu



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1920s, Angst with a Happy Ending, Businessman!Gabe, Controlling Parent, Florist!Jack, Leyendecker!au, M/M, Reaper76 Reverse Big Bang, Romeo & Juliet balconies, Secret Relationship, fic with art
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 04:47:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19881886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momopichu/pseuds/momopichu
Summary: Gabriel's world has always been grey. But a chance rainy day puts him in front of Morrison's flowers, where Jack, the florist, brings colours into his life and teaches him what it means to live - even if Gabriel has to defy his mother to do so.





	Rewrite the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> For [@Toydreamings](https://twitter.com/Toydreamings) on twitter!
> 
> This is a R76 Reverse Big Bang fic based on her beautiful Leyendecker!au (found [here](https://twitter.com/Toydreamings/status/1045731752797339648)). Please go check her out and give her some love! Her twitter link is above, or you can find her on [tumblr](https://toydreamer.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> The amazing Tye has written a sister fic too, which can be found [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19881613)!

**~ I. ~**

The autumn rain seeped beneath his coat, soaking Gabriel to the skin.

Not for the first time he wondered if he could’ve gotten out of this if he had just said ‘no’. No to the errand that sent him scurrying in the rain. No to the request that caused his hat to slough with water and his coat to slap his ankles. But no one said ‘no’ to Gabriel’s mother – the Chairwoman, the matriarch. She had asked – demanded, actually – and Gabriel was hard pressed to deny her. Which led to his predicament now; trotting through the horrid weather with his mother’s precious package bundled against his chest.

A shiver wracked his body and he raised his hand, wiping away the rain that threatened to blind him. The grey weather showed no sign of letting up, dark clouds stretching to the horizon on either side – Gabriel heard thunder in the distance, once, twice. He had been trying to console himself but with every step he took, he was beginning to realise that he would be lucky to reach home at all. His vision had been reduced to nothing but a mass of thrumming grey and his shoes threatened to give out, drenched through their layers of (so-called) sturdy leather. Resigning himself, Gabriel looked about, hoping to all hopes that there would be somewhere he could find refuge away from the storm.

A flash of colour caught his eye.

There. Just across the road, a red-and-white awning stretched over a darkened shop. Squaring his shoulders against the weather, Gabriel made his way over. Golden letters were scrawled on the storefront’s glass, they read ‘Morrison’s Flowers’ in large cursive writing. A peek through the window revealed a folded card with the words ‘Closed’ on the display shelf. Framed behind that were rows upon rows of potted plants, bundled away from the beating rain – multicoloured flowers in different stages of blooms, hanging ivy and drooping moss. They cluttered every surface of their shop with blustering leaves, turning the small space into a flourishing forest.

Outside, there was little shelter, most of the awning’s space having been taken up by empty shelves. Curse his horrid luck. One of his hands came to rest over the window, leaving a slopping handprint on the glass. What he wouldn’t give to be inside right now, away from the rain, sheltered in a safe haven. He wouldn’t admit that he was even a little envious of the flowers – but he was. His hand curled into a fist, forehead coming to rest on the cold glass, eyes drifting closed.

Gabriel didn’t know how long he had been standing there until some impulse spurred him to open his eyes. There was movement behind the glass, a shadow that flitted with ease among the rows of flowers. Gabriel squinted; against the dapples of raindrops across the window and the darkness of the shop. It wasn’t until the form came closer that his eyes widened, ensnared by the sight on the other side.

A man stared back at him, with hair of spun gold and blue eyes of polished crystal. His pale hand was on the glass, right where Gabriel’s fist still held. The glimpse was fleeting, a flash like the brief sight of blue behind rainy clouds. And then the stranger was moving, unlocking the front door of the shop.

Gabriel barely registered the chime of the bell before he was being ushered in. It wasn’t until he realised he was creating a puddle of water in his wake that he caught himself.

“I’m terribly sorry—” Gabriel began.

“It’s alright,” the golden blond said, he rummaged around in a nearby drawer, procuring a towel which he stretched to Gabriel. “Hand me your coat and your hat, let’s get you warmed up.”

Gabriel did as he was told, pulling his coat off with difficulty, his mother’s bundle still clasped in his arms. Rough hands came to help, their pale skin a stark contrast against Gabriel’s darker tones. He tried not to swallow as the – Gabriel presumed to be – shopkeeper helped him get the garment off, immediately replacing it with the towel – the coat was folded over an arm.

“I hope you weren’t outside too long,” the blond said.

“No, it’s fine, really.” Gabriel replied, and sneezed.

The shopkeeper levelled a brow at Gabriel but made no comment, instead turning and leading the way further into the shop, pausing now and again to make sure his guest followed. They went up a flight of stairs, tucked away inside the back of the shop and through an old wooden door.

The blast of warm air was a welcome change from the cold. Gabriel heaved a sigh, shoulders sagging in relief, but immediately perked up again as he spotted the vases of flowers dominating the room. Just like the shop, they were everywhere, nearly engulfing the bed in the far corner and hanging from pots above what Gabriel thought to be the kitchen.

“Wow,” he breathed.

“Oh!” the blond rushed forward, pulling away a newspaper bundled bouquet of flowers off the couch and picking up his tools. “I’m really sorry about the mess – please, make yourself at home…”

“Gabriel – Gabriel Reyes.” he supplied. “And it’s not so bad, it’s very…green.”

“Green?” the shopkeeper asked. He sounded amused, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

How could he make the blond understand? Gabriel’s usual world was a mass of grey. Of working woody browns and cobblestone paths between his home and his workplace. But this room full of flowers, clamouring with their many different colours…

“It’s different.” Gabriel said at last by way of explanation. Immediately, he mentally smacked himself for the lame reply.

‘Different’ didn’t even begin to cover what he felt, but as the blond burst into laughter at his answer – features crinkling in mirth, blue eyes sprinkling with happy tears – something clicked within Gabriel and _– Oh_.

“You’re quite honest Gabriel,” the blond said, unaware of his guest’s inner turmoil and wiping his eyes. “Don’t worry about it. And have a seat. I’ll be right here if you need anything.”

Gabriel watched as the man hummed his way over to the stove, hanging up his drenched coat beside the gently smouldering coals and placing his hat on top.

“I-I didn’t catch your name—” Gabriel stammered.

The blond jumped. “Oh!” he smacked his head. “I’m so sorry, I’m a bit scatter-brained today. It’s Jack – Jack Morrison.”

“Jack…” Gabriel rolled the name on his tongue.

“I used to be ‘John’, but my dad had the same name – you can see how that can be confusing.” Jack continued. “So, mom proposed calling me Jack and it stuck.”

“Jack suits you.”

Gabriel could’ve sworn Jack’s face flushed as red as the rosy blooms that sat on the side of a leaf littered workbench.

“T-thanks?”

Gabriel thought of replying but let out a growl instead as his fingers – now at his throat and fiddling with the stubborn bow tie – slipped. The little ribbon hadn’t been spared from the onslaught of rain and it lay as a sad-sight against his neck where it refused to budge. Try as he might, the ties had gotten so wet that Gabriel couldn’t even get his nails into the creases to untie the thing.

“Here, let me.”

Stepping up to Gabriel, the blond helped him pull the bow apart with deft fingers. This close the business man could smell mint. It was soft, a light cloud that surrounded Jack and teased Gabriel’s nose. Catching himself leaning closer, he mentally shook himself and stood stock still as the blond worked, hands flexing uselessly at his sides.

“There.” The bow tie was reduced to a strap, slung about Gabriel’s neck.

“Thank you,” Gabriel breathed.

The blond nodded, leaving the businessman to stand in the quiet of his room, still with his mother’s package sandwiched under an arm. Almost hesitantly, Gabriel took the empty spot that had been freed on the couch, leaving the bundle that he had been tasked with on the soft pink cushions. The simple gesture seemed to free him, a weight being lifted off his shoulders. Gabriel laid back on the couch with a sigh, towel over his head and closed his eyes – basking in the warmth of the room and the fragrance of flowers that permeated the space.

The rain continued to drum outside the windows, thunder rumbling gently. The gentle ambiance led Gabriel into a doze, mind wandering in the space between sleeping and wakefulness. Never could he have rested like this in his own world, where people tapped their heels and flaunted cigarettes, talked about the day’s earnings and numbers. So many numbers. There was no delicacy, no way to hide from the business – his mother’s eyes – but here…it was like he could just _be_.

After a while, Gabriel became aware of soft clicks within the room. They threaded through the noise of rain and slipped in when he hadn’t noticed. The dark man blinked heavy eyes open, curiosity piqued. Groggily lifting his head, he looked around, turning on the couch till he found the source of the noise behind him.

Jack was perched on a wooden stool at the workbench, a pair of pruning shears in his pale hand. As Gabriel watched, the blond carefully snipped off thorns on the stem of a blooming rose. The blond’s fingers were quick and gentle. Just enough that the flower only fluttered slightly as it was tended and replaced back in a vase with its friends. Jack then turned to the nearly completed bouquet, fingers weaving between the flowers with a deftness that left the businessman breathless. He wasn’t sure what exactly Jack did, but when he was done, puffing up the bouquet as he went, the flowers were turned outwards, glowing with some invisible light Gabriel was sure Jack must’ve magically conjured.

“How did you do that?” He asked.

“Hmm?” Jack hummed, still inspecting his completed bouquet.

“Make them glow?”

“Glow?” Jack turned to him, puzzlement on his face.

“Yeah. They look brighter.”

Jack laughed, and Gabriel wondered if the mysterious light was from the florist himself, after all, his smile was bright enough to put sunflowers to shame.

“No no, it’s just the arrangement.” Jack explained.

“Arrangement?” Gabriel pressed.

Jack was silent for a moment, lip puckered in thought. Then, “Would you like to learn?”

Gabriel had never said ‘yes’ as quick as he did to Jack. The blond plucked a handful of smaller roses from various pots and came to sit beside the businessman on the couch. Together, they made small bouquets of roses for the rest of the afternoon.

The rain had slowed to a dribble, its remnants seeping through the hard cobblestone paths to gather at drains by the roadside. Amber leaves fluttered from their places on aged bark, dotting the streets with a blanket of gold and orange.

The bell of Morrison’s Flowers rung once, heralding the presence of two men chatting and laughing. One had hair of bright gold and eyes of cornflower blue. The other, skin of rich cocoa and trimmed beard of ebony black.

“It’s still raining Gabriel. Are you sure you don’t want to wait?” Jack asked.

“I’ll be fine,” Gabriel promised. “I’ve stayed long enough as it is.”

“Alright. Remember to wrap up warm once you’re home and—”

“ _Yes dad_ ,” Gabriel huffed.

They both laughed, then Gabriel walked away from the shop. He had made three steps away when he turned back to Jack, dried coat fanning around him in an arc.

“Can I um…”

“Yes?” Jack pressed.

“Can I come back? To…learn more flower arrangements?”

Jack chuckled. “You’re welcome back anytime, Gabriel. For flower arrangements…or just to chat.”

The businessman smiled and took off his hat, dipping into a small bow. That done he spun on his foot and skipped away. It didn’t strike Gabriel until later that he had left his mother’s package behind.

**~ II. ~**

There were buds growing on the common room balcony.

Gabriel could just begin to see their red petals, peeking out from between dusky green sepals. Gently, he caressed the unopened flower between his gloved fingers, wondering…

He chuckled.

There he went again, mind wandering down different avenues – to a shop lit by the warm sun and where flowers clamoured for the attention of a blond-haired florist. He had been back so many times in the past few days – almost every day after work in fact. It was more than was socially acceptable in his mother’s eyes. But what could he say? Gabriel had left her precious package behind the first time. Then his keys. His briefcase. His hat.

The last had drawn her ire and today’s meeting was his punishment. The smile left Gabriel’s face, falling away as leaves do under the autumn chill. He dropped his hand from the late blooming bud. The plant protested, leaves shaking and bud swaying violently. The businessman turned away before it had finished, re-entering his vast home. The polished, high, marble walls glared back, cold and unmoving as the young heir navigated the empty halls marked by stiff statues of polished brass.

So were they uncaring of Gabriel’s troubles, Gabriel was uncaring of their posture and the photos he slanted in his wake – knowing that his mother would right them later. Approaching the lounge, he could hear the excited talk of two women.

With two hands, he threw open the doors to the room. His mother turned to him, only the slightest twitch in the corner of her eye signalling her displeasure of her son’s entrance. The other woman seemed not to care, instead clapping her hands in delight.

“Gabriel, my son, how good of you to _finally_ join us.” Madam Reyes said. Without waiting for a reply, she swept her hand to the side, motioning for her companion to step forward. “I’m sure you remember Mrs. Gardiner.”

Gabriel nodded to the woman, a slight thing that could barely even pass for a bow. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his mother chew the corner of her lips.

“Oh, but it has been a long time dear. It’s alright if he doesn’t remember!” Mrs. Gardiner twittered, unaware.

“Indeed,” Gabriel’s mother hummed. “But come, let us sit, there is much to talk about.”

“Excuse me mother,” Gabriel said. “May I ask what there is to discuss?”

“My…your _future_ , of course.” She replied.

Jack found himself puffing up a pot of roses…again.

He had meant to start working on commissions hours ago. But each time he had sat down with the pots and tools all gathered before him, he had found himself drifting and returning to the red blooms. There was something about them he couldn’t quite place. Maybe it was the sun today, shining all-too-brightly through the store front window. Or maybe it was the soil, cracked and dry beneath his fingers.

Or maybe it was the missing pair of hands under his own.

Jack shook his head, but the smile on his face didn’t fade. He recalled with fondness the times Gabriel had returned to his shop in the past few weeks – it felt like every other day in fact. It had gotten to the point that Jack had begun expecting him with every ring of his shopfront’s bell. It began as simple flower arrangement lessons with casual ‘how are you’s and small talk in between. But slowly, they had shifted till Gabe lay sprawled on his couch, weaving flower crowns while Jack contemplated tossing a basket of daisies over him.

Jack smiled as he remembered Gabe’s sputtered response, jumping up with daisies all over as he proceeded to chase the blond around his little apartment. They broke his flower basket in their endeavours, and Gabe had left his hat behind as a momentary replacement.

Jack shook his head again, smacking himself on the cheeks to get his mind out from the pleasant daydreams. He had a problem right now. And it was definitely more pressing. Because no matter what he did, the roses before him just seemed…wrong.

Finally, Jack huffed and left the pot of flowers sitting on an elevated pedestal at the storefront window. Despite the less than perfect arrangement, he _really_ had other tasks to attend to, so he returned to the counter of his shop and began assembling the items he would need. He had a few hours yet and hopefully, he would have his more pressing works done before then so that he may return to mull over the roses some more.

A few customers came in as he worked. Jack dealt with all their requests and had his lunch standing at his storefront window, blue eyes once again occupied by the roses.

What was wrong with them?

He had watered them just this morning, trimmed their buds, turned their blooms to the sun. Yet they didn’t seem…right.

Jack crumpled the sandwich wrapper in his hands and sighed. Was it all just in his mind? Was he feeling some sort of paranoia or urgency and was just taking it all out on his flowers? This wouldn’t do; his plants deserved better than being treated as an outlet for his own inner turmoil. Gathering his tools, Jack set about repotting a set of plants he had been putting off.

The feel of cool soil between his fingers finally drew him into a state of calm. The churning of dirt as he roughly made a hole for his plants and relocating them took his attention and soon, he forgot about the roses at the window.

All was quiet in his shop, the afternoon hours ticking away. Some window shoppers passed by talking and laughing. A bird or two danced in the trees outside before flying on.

The sun was well on its way towards the west when his shop bell finally rung, announcing that someone had entered his abode. Anticipation settled in Jack’s gut, a glance at the clock indicating that it was around the time that Gabe visited him. He gave the soil around his repotted tree a final knead and washed his hands. With a towel to pat his skin down, he rounded the counter of his sanctuary.

Immediately, Jack had to stamp down the disappointment – replacing it with a sunshine smile. The new customer was a dainty woman. Her lacey pink coat and ankle length skirt was cinched to her waist by a white silk waistband. A white shirt peaked out from beneath her coat, top buttons undone where a small silver chain with a gem could be seen. A straw hat sat perched on her fashionably piled up hair, preserved flowers and pearls sewed into the left side.

The woman was inspecting the roses at the front window when Jack approached.

“Good afternoon ma’am.”

“Oh!” the small woman jumped. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, my name’s Jack.” He bowed. “How may I help you today.”

“Selene.” The woman looked back at the roses at the storefront windows. “I was just looking. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” Jack replied. He gestured to the rest of his shop. “Please, feel free to explore. I’ll be by the counter if you need anything.”

With that, he retreated. At the counter, he planted his hands on his hips, thinking. As the trees were finally replanted, there wasn’t much he could do now in terms of practical work, and he didn’t want to begin anything bigger in case Selene needed something. Best to work on something easy and clean then. From under his desk, Jack drew out a series of crumpled notes papers and began sifting through them. Some were bill reminders, others an inventory of his current stock. He tapped a pen against his lips, getting to work.

Out of the corner of his eye, he kept tabs on Selene. She was wandering down the aisles and near the shelves filled with flowers. Her arms remained clasped behind her back as she inspected each pot and vase, now and then leaning forward to smell a growing bloom. For a while there was nothing but the scritches of his pen on paper and the muffled footsteps of Selene’s shoes on wood.

“Excuse me.”

Jack looked up. Selene had meandered to the counter, a silent shadow that waited for his attention. Jack nodded, indicating she had it.

“Could you make more bouquets?” She asked. “It’s for an event.”

“I can do,” Jack replied. “What’s the occasion?”

“A wedding.”

“Oh my! Congratulations to you and your partner!”

Selene hummed. “We haven’t decided on a date yet. But I was thinking…”

“I could prepare a display bouquet if you have a design in mind.” Jack said. He had done it for some customers before; when they were planning an event and deciding on the flowers they would want and need.

“That would be wonderful!” Selene clapped her hands together as Jack stood. “Oh, but I don’t have a new design. I was thinking, could I have those?”

She pointed to the roses at the front window.

“Of course,” Jack said.

As Jack approached the roses, something caught his eye. He tilted one of the crimson blooms. There on the petal’s edge, dried brownness had begun to creep on the flower, sapping it of its colour. How had he not seen it before?

He brought the bundle of roses to the table. This wouldn’t do.

“Do you mind waiting while I prepare you a new set? This one is a little droopy.” Jack asked.

Selene nodded and the blond returned to his storeroom for a fresh bundle. Bringing the new flowers back to the counter, he began working, pale hands steady on the scissors and around the plants in his grip.

“So, a wedding.” Jack began. “How do you feel? Are you ready?”

Selene hummed in thought, fingers steepled before her painted lips.

“I think so,” she replied. “My fiancé is both kind and supportive. It helps that he is a successful businessman. I’m sure it’ll work out.”

Jack nodded, attention split. The new bouquet in his hand was coming together slowly. Very, slowly. Perhaps it was because of his perfectionism, or perhaps it was because roses didn’t seem to agree with him today. Either way, Jack took his time shearing the stems and arranging the flowers. When he finally had the vase of roses arranged on the counter, it actually looked…good.

Jack gave the roses a last puff and turned them to Selene.

“Here you are.”

“Oh my, they are lovely!” Selene crooned, reaching out to caress a bloom. “Mother will love them I’m sure!”

Jack smiled. He’s heard similar compliments before but it never hurt to know his customers appreciated his work.

“I’m glad,” Jack hummed, moving to pick up the leftovers stems from his work. The drooping rose was held in his hand, brown petals turned into his palm when Selene spoke up again.

“I hope Madam Reyes will love them too!”

Jack stiffened. “Madam Reyes?”

Selene was holding a rose to her nose. “Madam Reyes is my Mother-in-law-to-be! She’s such a kind and gracious woman…”

Was the room tilting? Selene’s voice seemed so far away all of a sudden, and no matter how many breaths Jack took, it just didn’t feel enough.

“So you’re marrying… _Gabriel_?” Jack interrupted. He hadn’t meant to. But something inside him begged to know. Set a fire beneath his heart and itched itself to a fever pitch.

“You know him?” Selene asked. Her face flushed with colour and she put a gloved hand to her cheek. “Oh, this is quite embarrassing. But yes, Gabriel is my _fiancé_.”

The rose in Jack’s hand fell, dead petals crumbling and splaying across his shop floor.

The last meeting had gone on for far longer than what Gabriel was used to.

His shoulders sagged with exhaustion and his mind ached from all the talk. Even now, he swore he could hear the yattering of the men and women in the room. Worse still, was his mother’s voice – ever-present. A constant stream of words that he was dedicated to obey.

Gabriel just wanted to shut it all out. Close his eyes and just _be_.

It didn’t help that it was drizzling, each drop of rain adding to his currently miserable state. He stumbled, nearly crashing into the side of a storefront, planting a wet handprint on the window. Recalling himself enough to look around, Gabriel was able to make out the cursive gold writing on glass that marked Jack’s flower shop. He couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped.

Who would have thought?

It was past closing time, the store dark and flowers tucked away in the shadows behind. For a moment he considered if it was too late to call Jack, but the need to see him overrode his common sense. Somehow, he managed to straighten himself enough to knock on the door.

“Gabe?” Jack’s voice was a husky distant thing followed by the rapid thudding of his footsteps. When he came into view, blue eyes widened at the sight of the dishevelled businessman and he rushed forward to unlock his shop. “You look exhausted! What happened?”

Gabriel made to answer but as the door opened, he noted redness at the corners of Jack’s eyes. He paused then, reaching a hand forward to place a hand on the blond’s cheek, tilting his face to better see the new addition. It did not occur to him that such an act was inappropriate – too intimate, even. He could only care about the crimson colour that seeped across sky blue eyes.

“You were crying,” Gabriel said.

Jack rubbed his face – blooming with colour – suddenly self-conscious. “It’s nothing. And you didn’t answer my question.”

Gabriel opened his mouth but snapped it closed again. Jack’s shop was a heaven, a secret alcove away from the storm that was Gabriel’s family and work. As much as he wanted to tell Jack of the events that occurred, he couldn’t do it. To vomit his problems all over the last safe space he had was like putting a spider in the very bed he slept in. And Jack looked like he had enough on his plate.

“Just a meeting,” Gabriel finally said.

Jack pursed his lips. A frown crossed his brow momentarily, and it looked as if he wanted to say something, but then shook his head. “Come on, let’s get you out of the rain.”

Gabriel followed Jack into the shop and upstairs. As they passed the counter, Gabriel noticed the remnants of a dried up rose in the waste bin. He quirked a brow, having rarely seen any dead flowers within the shop due to Jack’s excellent care. Mayhap that was why the blond was a little under the weather today? Whatever it was, Gabriel resolved not to mention it.

In Jack’s room, things were just as the older man had seen it last; a woollen blanket was thrown over the back of Jack’s dimpled couch and flowers were – as usual – everywhere. A little pot was set above the stove, rattling gently with the fragrant deep scents of stew.

Jack pushed Gabriel into the couch with a firm hand, indicating that the businessman was to stay put as he flitted about the room, tending to his pot and any litter leftover from his previous works. Gabriel went willingly, sinking into the cushions without a care.

He wasn’t aware that he had closed his eyes, or that he had been dozing until a presence cast a shadow that was felt even under his closed eyelids Gabriel blinked both eyes open to find Jack leaning over the back of the couch and over him, a small smile stretched across his pale features.

“Was the meeting that bad?” Jack asked.

“You have no idea,” Gabriel groaned, rubbing his face and sitting up. “Sorry, didn’t mean to doze—” his eyes flicked the windows outside and he gaped. How was it completely dark already?

Jack hummed, a teasing smile perking the corner of his lips. “If that was a doze, then what’s sleeping like for you?”

Gabriel jumped to his feet, narrowly missing the coffee table – and hitting Jack’s nose with his forehead – to look for his coat, unawares that he was already wearing it. “Damn! I wasn’t supposed to fall asleep—"

“Gabe—”

“I’m so sorry—”

“Gabe—”

“I didn’t mean to impose—”

“ _Gabe_ …”

“Oh hells, mother must be—” Gabriel paused. _Mother_.

A hand settled on his shoulder and he jumped. Jack’s blue eyes were soft, concern and something gentler hooking into Gabriel and pulling him back to earth. There was something else too, something unreadable. Gabriel squinted, trying to make it out but Jack spoke before he could decide what it was.

“What about mother?” Jack asked.

“N-nothing.” Gabriel stammered. The blond didn’t need to know about her, especially not now.

For a moment Jack’s mouth was thinned into a line, an expression akin to disapproval flitting across his face before disappearing. He nodded to the coffee table that – now that Gabriel was looking – contained two plates of stew and an assortment of fruits and dried meat.

“I thought that you might be hungry too, since the ‘meeting’ –” Jack said the word as if it were an inside joke “—left you exhausted.”

“You didn’t have to,” Gabriel said.

“I wanted to.”

“Oh… _Oh._ ”

“You don’t have to stay,” Jack inserted quickly. “I just thought…” He hesitated, then shook his head violently as if to clear his head. “Do you want to go somewhere – tomorrow?”

Gabriel blinked at the change in subject, slightly taken aback, and scratched his head. “What do you have in mind?”

“I just—It’s nothing, I just thought you could use a break.” Jack covered his face with his hands. Even under his fingers, Gabriel could see the creeping blush that was spreading to the blond’s ears. “There’s a place I go to, outside of town. It’s…quiet.”

“I…” Gabriel began, then paused. The idea of going out of town with Jack was appealing, more than appealing – he was surprised to realise it was something he _wanted_. “Sure – yes. Yes!”

Jack looked shocked but he quickly brightened and just like that, it was as if the sun had returned.

Gabriel stayed over at Jack’s house, chatting the night away beside warm coals. The drumming of rain filled the silence between words, wrapping the little room filled with flowers in a blanket away from the outside world. As night finally gave way to day, the rain broke, allowing the first rays of sunlight to strike a path through the sky.

Jack led them to the outskirts of town where he hired a horse driven cart, much to Gabriel’s amusement. The businessman had never gone outside the city, nor ridden anything like this. The experience was exciting and he took it all with the glee of a child going on an adventure. Sadly, Gabriel’s energy only lasted till he was deposited in the back – and then he was out like a light, a bag of hay held tightly in his arms. The blond smiled at his sleeping friend.

Jack still couldn’t believe Gabriel had agreed to go with him; what with it being a spur of the moment thought. Even now, he didn’t know what overcame him, just that it had been a desperate, whole-hearted urge to help. To erase those dark circles around kind brown eyes and lighten the load on down cast shoulders.

The bags were still there – a night of talking instead of sleeping probably didn’t help – but his shoulders had stopped sagging and it was definitely worth it to see the expression on Gabriel’s face as he pet the horse driving their cart. And even more so when he had been given a gentle (and wet) nose nudge to the shoulder in return.

These were the moments that made Jack happy.

As fragile as glass and fleeting as autumn leaves.

He could still hear Selene’s voice, a sharp pointed needle affirming her engagement to Gabriel. The blond had no reason to feel like the way he does now, like the way he did after Selene departed his shop and left him sobbing in the back.

After all, Gabriel is not _his_.

But between flowers weaved between fingers and laughter exchanged, he had grown attached. He should have known better; a florist does not grow a pot of roses to keep it to himself. He nurtures it as best as he can and sells it to whoever is willing to pay the highest price.

Jack recalled the day he met Gabriel. He had been like a flower wilting under unknown causes and half drowned in the rain. The blond had tended him and given him a safe place to unfurl his petals.

Jack wondered then if he should not have been surprised that Gabriel would be torn away. The businessman had a _future_. Jack wasn’t going anywhere; he had his dream within four wooden walls choked to the brim with greenery and the wet mist of growing things.

The reigns rattle in his hand and Jack is jolted back to the road ahead. It’s nothing, the mare tosses her head briefly and Jack helps her adjust the leather tack to sit more comfortably. Then the florist’s hands drop back into his lap.

What the hell was he doing?

If he was trying to kidnap Gabriel, he couldn’t have thought of a better way to do it. Taking him out of the city under the pretence of seeing Jack’s ‘secret place’? What was he thinking. Jack consoled himself that he was only trying to help, he _really_ had meant it when he wanted to bring Gabriel somewhere quiet. But he had no idea where to go from there.

He was somewhat hoping that his thoughts would straighten out by themselves, but from the way things had gone, Jack doubted that would be so. With a sigh, he pulled the mare to a stop and twisted in the driver’s seat. In the back, Gabriel was still fast asleep, curled without a care in the world – features smoothed in peace.

And Jack wanted to grasp time in an iron fist and hold it here.

The businessman looked so relaxed, a huge contrast to how he had been last night when Jack found him knocking at the shop door. The lines on his face were smoothed and his body moved in gentle, silent rhythm to his breaths.

Jack could’ve stayed there forever. But he knew better, Gabriel would wake with or without his help and the world will keep on turning. Sighing, the blond leaned forward to shake the businessman awake.

“Gabriel? Hey sleepyhead, we’re here.”

Gabriel awoke with all the groggy grace of a child being told he had school in five minutes; he nuzzled into the bag of hay that had become his makeshift pillow and groaned. Jack chuckled and tried again.

“Gaaabe. If you keep sleeping, you won’t be able to see the surprise.”

That seemed to do the trick. The businessman opened one eye to look at Jack.

“Surprise?” he asked.

“That’s right.”

Gabriel sat up and stretched, groaning in a way that did nothing for Jack’s imagination and peered out of the cart.

“I don’t see anything.” Gabriel pouted.

“It’s a little way off,” Jack replied. “Come on, we can walk.”

For a moment, the other man seemed to consider it, then shrugged and hopped out of the cart with Jack – his long coat slung over one shoulder. Jack secured the mare to a fence close to the road, and together, they set off.

Side by side, they walked through the forest path with its parse arrangement of trees. Amber and bronze leaves littered the ground, paving it with a crunchy layer that could be heard around. Jack had no words to fill the silence. He only knew that at this distance, nearly shoulder to shoulder, he could take Gabriel’s hand and weave his pale fingers among dark brown ones.

Something must have shown on his face, because soon after, questing fingers slid over his wrist, feeling for his hand. Jack looked over to find Gabriel, eyes fixed straight ahead, grinning ever so slightly. Jack couldn’t help the bark of a laugh that escaped and he interlaced their fingers, giving their joint hands a small swing for good measure.

Gabriel retaliated with a bigger swing.

The rest of the way to their destination was more enjoyable.

The look of awe that crossed Gabriel’s face was well worth the journey.

Jack watched as the other man took a few steps into the wild flower field, now a pleasant gold that heaved in soft ripples as fur does on a cat’s back. He had his arms stretched out on either side of him, fingers grazing the long stems as he passed through. Deep breaths filled his body and his silhouette against the bright blue sky, clear of rain for once, would forever be engrained in Jack’s mind.

As would the smile that Gabriel threw his way when he turned and grabbed Jack’s hand, pulling him deeper into the field. He laughed as he was led away from the forests’ edge, dancing and twirling until they tripped and fell, rolling down the small slope and scattering loose leaves in their wake.

“This is amazing!” Gabriel panted once they had settled. His brown eyes twinkled in the light, his attire dishevelled. “And you come here all the time?”

“When I need wild flowers for the shop,” Jack replied. “But yes, to rest too.”

“I envy you,” Gabriel sighed. A shadow flitted across his features, and Jack could tell the moment the businessman’s thoughts wandered, from the way his brows pinched. And his hands, from where they were spread eagled at his sides before, now hid themselves under his head, fists clenched.

“Hey, Gabe…” Jack tried. He leaned over the other man, reaching forward but falling short of touching his cheek. With a softer voice, he said “Stay with me.”

The frown never really left, but Gabriel did as beckoned, eyes refocusing, and Jack swore that he could see his reflection gazing back in those kind depths. Before he knew it, Gabriel’s hand had encircled his waist and pulled him till Jack lay across the businessman’s body, chest-to-chest.

Jack did not have time to ponder their closeness or what it could mean, not when Gabriel gave him a smile so soft it cracked something loose within Jack and buried it deep within the other man.

It was then Jack promised himself never to speak of the conversation with Selene to Gabriel. Who knew how long he had left with this silly, wonderful man who dropped by his shop one rainy day.

Jack would hold on to these days as close to his heart as he was able…before they ran out.

[x](https://twitter.com/Toydreamings/status/1152625309155377152)

**~ III _. ~_**

“Gabriel, we need to talk.”

His mother’s tone was a thunder whip across the room that sliced the silence clean in half. Gabriel flinched from where he sat at the desk. His fingers, around the body of a pen, squeezed too hard and left a splotch mark of ink on the document he had been working on. Sighing inwardly, he scrunched the paper and threw it aside. Knowing his mother, she would demand his whole attention and nothing less. He turned and stood up to face her.

“How can I help, mother?” Gabriel asked.

“You can help by explaining where you were the other day.” She said.

She didn’t shout. Didn’t have to, her words commanded like a leash around his neck. Gabriel couldn’t help shunting at her tone. It was minute, just the barest lift of one shoulder and the twist of his face – as if he were a child again, fearing of being beaten for his troubles.

“Mother—” he began

“Do not ‘ _mother’_ me, Gabriel. You disappeared for a night and a day with no word. What do you want the others to think?”

Not her, but the ‘ _others’_. Those of their rank, who were rich in money, power…and gossip. Gabriel swallowed and flexed his hands at his sides, sweat slicking the meat of his palms.

“It was just a recreational outing with a friend,” he said. “Nothing to be worried about.”

“ _Recreational!_ ” Her mother barked a laugh, the action, so surprising for her that it even gave Gabriel pause. “Do you take me for a fool?”

“I had a day off.” Gabriel said through gritted. “The meeting the day before was tiring, I was only recuperating.”

The bare suppression of his anger had not gone unnoticed, if there was anything his mother hated, it was being challenged. Her brows snapped together with a nearly audible click.

“And I suppose your _friend_ helped you recuperate?” She hissed.

Gabriel was taken aback. It didn’t matter that his mother had chosen to believe some outlandish rumour. It didn’t even matter that she _accused_ him of fraternising. But to think that she would imply that _Jack_ – kind, sunshine Jack, who had only suggested the outing because of Gabriel’s haggard look – would take advantage of him when she had never met him... It set a fire so hot within his gut and in his eyes.

“Jack would never do that!” He snarled. “I had every opportunity to say no—”

“ _Which you did not_!” His mother interrupted. “I had to hear of your ‘trip’ from Mr. Gardiner himself—”

“It was _just_ that—"

“Gallivanting in some—” she fumbled for the word “—horse driven box, outside the city!”

“It’s a _cart_. And we weren’t—”

“Do not patronize me, _boy_!” She moved into the room, a suffocating presence uncontained by her form. “Did you not hear my words? Your fiancée’s _father_ is asking me of your availability! Your actions have been an embarrassment to this household and our name! Not to mention they could have cost you your marriage – a marriage _I_ have planned hard and long for!”

It was then that Gabriel snapped. For the past weeks, his mother had been nothing but an oppressive force corralling him into meeting after meeting of finding suitors and talks of inheritance and money matters. Not once had he been asked if he wanted this. Not once, had his risen suggestions and mutterings of ‘I don’t think this is right’ were heard. And not once, did anyone ask if the women he met, one after another, until they all blurred into flashes of colours and head-smarting twittering voices, were the ones he wanted to spend his _life_ with.

“ _You_ don’t get to decide what _I_ want!” he yelled. It was almost satisfying to see his mother take a step back, eyes widened at the sight of her son barking back. “For _years_ , I have tried to make you happy but it’s never enough! I’m sick and tired of following these – these _rules_ that you have put on me—”

“Rules that have only made you greater—”

“And am I greater?” Gabriel snapped. “It’s not enough is it? It’s never enough – It’s why you had to go and find a suitor for me without asking about me what I thought!”

His mother was silent for a full minute. When she next spoke, it was a low, dangerous hiss.

“I’m thinking of your _future_ , Gabriel.”

Gabriel snorted.

“I don’t want your future.”

And for the first time, he felt what it was like to say ‘no’ to his mother.

Jack was tending to a vase of crocuses when he heard it.

Just a small bump, as if something had fallen particularly harshly on a metal roof. He stopped what he was doing and got up, undoing the apron about his waist. A quick circuit around his small apartment yielded nothing and he stopped, tapping his chin in thought.

Perhaps it was just his imagination?

But just as Jack was about to return to work, another bump sounded through the apartment. This time, the blond was sure it came from his balcony.

He reached for the broom that leaned against the wall, holding its handle firmly between two hands. There was no telling what the noise could be and he'd had mice try to make their way in his shop before. Better to be safe than sorry.

Quietly, Jack made his way to the small balcony of his apartment. Perhaps balcony was too gratuitous a title; the little space outside his window being more like a hanging basket that Jack had topped full of soil so that he could grow herbs for his humble lifestyle.

Either way, small or no, Jack's suspicions were confirmed when a dark form shuffled just on the edge of his house lamp's light. He tightened both hands around his broom and clicked the window open.

No sooner had he done so that a force careened into him, something large wrapping about his waist. Jack yelled in shock, broom raised high over his head but stopped the moment he saw what – or who – it was that had crawled its way into his apartment.

"Gabe!?" Jack exclaimed.

"Jack!" Gabriel sing-songed. He snuggled deep into the blond's waist, in one hand he was holding a rose – surprisingly still intact.

"Gabe...are you…" he manhandled the slightly bigger businessman into the room. "Drunk?"

Because now that they were away from the window, Jack could better pick out the scents and Gabriel had a barely-there smell of whiskey around him.

Gabriel didn't really know how he had done it.

After arguing with mother, he had been locked in the house and expressly ordered not to leave. An order he had angrily took to the bottle hidden under his desk for 'stressful situations'.

Somewhere between fuming in the depths of his first cup and pouring the next, Gabriel couldn't quite remember how many glasses he had before he was leaning out the common room balcony. The rose from before had finally bloomed, unfurling blood red petals to the sunset light.

It was then that his thoughts had drifted to Jack, and everything else, was history.

But now, as Jack pushed him into the couch, he could somewhat recall the chain of events that had led him here. He recalled taking the rose, mindful of its biting thorns and clambering down the wall of his house by the hanging ivy that had bit deep into the stone. The journey between his home and Jack’s though, was a mass of colour he had no idea how to piece through, before he was standing below Jack’s apartment and spotting the glow of light that indicated the blond was working within.

“Your balcony…is high.” He slurred.

Jack sighed, hands planted firmly on his waist. “What am I going to do with you?”

In answer to that, Gabriel stretched both arms out to the blond, fingers doing the come-hither motion.

“No,” Jack chided. “You do not get a hug for that stunt you pulled!”

“But…” Gabriel’s dopey smile dropped into a pout, his eyes rounding to the size of moons. He held the rose in his hand out to the blond. “I brought you a rose…”

Jack groaned deep in his throat and resisted the urge to stamp his feet in childish frustration.

How could he keep a stern face if Gabe was puckering his lip and looking as if Jack had just kicked a puppy? Answer, he doesn’t. The blond stepped forward into the ring of Gabriel’s arms and lets the businessman pull him close and smoosh his nose into Jack’s belly. The rose is roughly shoved into his lips in offering and Jack takes it with a resigned smile.

It’s a beautiful bloom.

As red as the berries in spring and smelling twice as sweet. The petals are artfully curled as if styled, the crimple of decay not yet chipping at their rounded edges. Jack smiles at the flower which was the size of his palm, bringing it close to his nose where he can better caress its softness and smell its bountiful fragrance.

Gabriel watches in something akin to worship as the man in his arms brings the rose to his face.

The red of the rose is a stark contrast against Jack’s pale skin and looks haloed in golden light from where Gabriel stares at it from the belly of the florist. His eyes zero in as the petals brush against Jack’s nose, graze his pale pink lips when held close…

So close, as if it were as fragile as shaped glass.

Gabriel wants to be there instead.

And before he knows, he’s stood and crowded Jack up against the worktable.

“Gabe!” Jack exclaimed. The blond’s hands fly to either side of him, grasping the table tight as Gabriel lifts him so that he is sitting on the leaf littered surface. “What do you think you are doing?”

“I…” _What was he doing?_ “You.”

“What?” Jack asked.

“You.”

“Gabe,” Jack’s voice is soft, rough as autumn leaves. His pale hands come to frame Gabriel’s face, holding him so that brown eyes met sky blue. “Slow down. What is it?”

“Want….” Gabriel managed. Why was it so hard? It was as if he was wading through thick mud, clawing through fog, to reach Jack. “You.”

“You’re drunk,” Jack admonished softly. A small smile played over his features, but Gabriel felt no warmth from it. Not with the shine over blue eyes, the cloud over bright skies. No, he didn’t want this bittersweet smile, didn’t want the trembling fingers on his cheeks.

“Want _you_.” Gabriel tried again, more firmly. The fog was clearing now, the haze of alcohol not quite lifting, but growing thinner.

“You…can’t.”

Gabriel blinked. Jack’s smile was gone, his lips pressed in a shaking line that threatened to break, eyes crumpled with a layer of light…like rainwater on windows.

“No no no no,” Gabriel whispered. “Don’t cry.”

“You can’t.” Jack said again.

“But I want… _you_.”

Something breaks in Jack’s face then and he leaned forward. Gabriel rushed to catch him. Their lips met and sank deep, melting into each other like ice under the sun. Jack kissed him with shivering lips warm from the room and Gabriel returns with fervour, nipping the pale pink skin and trying to commit their shape to memory. His hands fumbled between them, settling on the straps of Jack’s suspenders to pull the blond forward, other hand curling at the small of his back to pull him closer.

Somewhere in the daze that is his drunken mind, Gabriel rushed to etch this moment into his memory. He wants to keep it for rainy days, to savour on sunny days, to hold on to when he wakes in the morning and to the moments before he drifts off at night. He wants this, all of this, devouring Jack’s lips in a small apartment full of flowers on the street side of this quaint town.

He wants it on the border of a four-letter word just out of his reach but that soars with his heart every time he looks at Jack.

_Back at the Reyes Household:_

Madam Reyes walks the empty and halls of her mansion, footsteps echoing to the high ceilings now shadowed with the coming of night. A hand against the door of her son’s room meets no resistance, not that there is anything – or anyone – within to stop her.

She spends a moment to glare at the empty bed and the mostly finished bottle of whiskey on the desk and shuts the door behind her as she leaves.

Outside, she is as composed as a well-made song on a musician’s flute, internally she rages like a thunderstorm over the sea. Something must be done about her son’s sudden rebellious streak. It has grown in her boy’s heart like a weed and she has no doubt that a certain florist helped plant it there.

The future of the Reyes house depended on her, and she will not let some commoner destroy everything she has worked so hard for. Madam Reyes will do what must be done, even if it means she must set fire to her son’s heart to pull out the weeds.

**~ IV. ~**

It has been a night and a day since Gabe's drunken entrance.

Even now, Jack can still taste the soft burn of alcohol and the deeper and spicier tones that were Gabriel on his tongue. Occasionally, he will brush his fingers across his lips and reminisce the event. But each and every time he does so, Jack wondered if it was only a result of Gabe’s drunkenness.

And each and every time, he’s had no answer.

He sighed, returning to sweeping his floors after a morning rush of customers. He’s in the back of his shop when the store bell rings anew.

"Just a moment!" he called, putting his broom away. The same broom he would've accidentally whacked Gabe over the head with if he hadn't known. He washed his hands in the sink in the back and patted them down on a towel as he rounded the door that lead to his shop front.

"I'm sorry for the delay," Jack began. "How can I help...you...today…"

The woman in his shop is not who he expected. The usual customers he has are gossiping birds looking for bouquets for their friends or for birthdays. But this woman, with her grave features, eyeing Jack's shelf of flowers with something akin to distaste, looks to be none of those things.

She wore a black oiled cloak over a pale muslin dress. Her face is beautiful, sharp, like an eagle's and had no-nonsense lips. She does not acknowledge Jack at all, as she removed the board brimmed hat that sheltered her from the rain, and shook it over his floorboards, creating a wet patch on the wood.

“Jack Morrison?” she asked.

Jack swallowed. “Yes ma’am.”

The woman flourished a hand, gesturing to his shop. “Quite the humble set up you have here.”

“My life’s work,” Jack returned. To anyone else, he would’ve gushed proudly about how he got here, the story of each and every flower in his shop. But there was something about this woman he could not pin down. She reminded him of someone, with those drawn brows and full lips. However, her image jarred with the idea in his mind. This woman was much more severe. Much more…angry.

“Not a lot of work is it, then?” She asked.

Jack was taken aback. He was used to trouble-making customers, some people just had to go looking for problems when there wasn’t one. There were those that mocked, those that cursed. But never once, had he had someone stand in his shop and insult him like she had done.

“Excuse me?” he asked.

She walked forward, elegant hand slipping behind a vase of daffodils. For a moment, she caressed the petals.

“Such a drab place, I don’t know what my son saw in…all _this_.”

Son? As in…

“I don’t know what—” Jack tried.

Her hand, behind the vase, pulled it and its contents forward, smashing the fragile porcelain and its yellow flowers across the floor.

“Oops.” She said with not an ounce of apology in her tone.

“What are you—” Jack knelt immediately, trying to salvage what he could of the battered daffodils. A finely shoed foot stamped down on his fingers, causing a lightning bolt of pain to jolt up his hands. “Ah—”

The woman tsked. “I need you to listen closely, Jack Morrison.” A manicured finger hooked under his chin, lifting his head. “I am Madam Reyes, head of the Reyes family, and _you_ have been a bad influence on my son.”

Jack tried to free his fingers but – was he just imagining it? – it felt as if the woman’s shoe was exerting more pressure. The finger under his chin turned into nails, digging into his skin and forcing him to look into Madam Reyes’ eyes.

“Before this, he was _fine_. Willing to do what must be done for the family, and now he has filled his head with _fantasy_. Fantasies, _you_ have had a hand in putting in there.” Madam Reyes’ voice was a snarl, were it on anyone less dignified, they would be spitting. “I will not have my son acquainting himself with some… _florist_. There is no future in this useless life you lead, especially not for a Reyes – are you listening?”

“It sounds to me like Gabriel just wants to find a path for himself!” Jack retorted.

His answer earns him a slap across the face. For a dignified rich-woman, she hit hard.

“You do not _deserve_ to say his name!” She snapped. “This! This is the sort of behaviour I was afraid my son would learn!” Her foot ground into Jack’s hands, twisting his fingers into smashed vase and broken flowers until the blond swore he would be bleeding. “This is your final warning, Morrison. _Stay away_ from my son or you will regret it – mark my words.”

And with that, she left the shop, swinging the door open in her wake so that a blast of cold, rainy air swept into his shop, tossing flowers and making his already cold, bloody, fingers, colder.

Gabriel remembered that night with Jack very clearly.

Despite the whiskey fogging his brain, he could recall the way Jack kissed him. The taste of his lips, the sounds he made…The desperate hand that clasped the lapels of his coat and refused to let go.

The businessman runs his hand down the front of his shirt and settles where Jack had curled pale fingers into him. It burns through the layers of fabrics and through his skin, but it is not an uncomfortable kind of burn, but something soft that reminded Gabriel of fires in a stove.

He has been thinking of this for a while.

These sensations, the journey. The why's and what's. In a way he is still surprised by his own brazenness to go visit Jack in the middle of the night, and to kiss him the way he did. But on the other hand, it is not a shock.

He won't lie to himself; Gabriel's been wondering how those lips tasted the first time they met. He's been thinking of what-ifs, and the night before was like a tidal wave of answers finally crashing down.

It is with these thoughts that Gabriel settled on his dilemma. He wanted nothing to do with his mother's business empire or her plans, if it was just a passing word before, now he knew for sure. He also wanted the freedom to chart his own course, to test these uncertain new waters with Jack and see where their ship would sail.

Gabriel nodded to himself. He had much to talk about with Jack the next time they met, and there wasn't much time. His mother would still be pushing forwards the plans to wed him to Selene and the young businessman would rather call it off sooner than later. That way, perhaps something could still be salvaged for his mother's reputation, and her temper.

Decision made, Gabriel pulled on his coat and left his room. There was still the matter of organising his words so that he could convey his feelings suitably to Jack. The last thing he wanted was to scare the blond off, though now that he thought about it, there probably wasn't any chance of that—

"Gabriel."

He looked up, eyes zeroing instantly on his mother who waited by the double doors of their mansion's entrance. Her black overcoat was slicked from the rain outside, but somehow, she was still able to look the regal queen in her own home. The businessman ground to a halt, all thoughts of Jack coming to a standstill.

"Are you going out?" She asked. Strangely, there was no anger in her voice, no accusations. She looked as if she were commenting on the weather, but something in her eyes caused a shiver to pass through Gabriel.

"Yes," he replied at last. "Just for a while, I won't be long."

His mother nodded and went on her way. Which was weird. After their argument, he had expected her to voice some kind of objection or even try to keep him at home. This did not bode well but Gabriel did not have the time to ponder it at the moment.

So resettling his coat around his shoulders, Gabriel left for Jack's flower shop.

Jack's shop was closed when he got there.

A rare sight as it was usually open seven days a week from morning till dusk. A peek through the darkened windows revealed no life…and a vase of flowers smashed across the floorboards of the shop.

Gabriel quirked a brow at the sight. Jack wasn’t known to break his displays, nor leave them out if an accident had happened. Unsettled by the sight, the businessman craned his neck but found no sight of the blond in the shop, only his flowers, silent in the shadows and drooping under the pressure of grey skies.

Gabriel growled, retreating from the shop front to round the building. He recalled vaguely coming this way the day before last, and just as surely, he spotted the hanging basket that belonged to Jack’s apartment, dripping with its burden of rain. The window beyond that was lit by a small glow – a candle light’s worth at most.

“Jack?” Gabriel called. No response. “Jack!” he tried again.

Dimly, he heard the bump of something slipping, and then Jack was appearing at the window. The joy of seeing the blond quickly turned to ash.

His face was blotchy and red, eyes crinkled as if he had been crying for a while. Even now, as Gabriel stood below his balcony, the blond reached up to wipe his eyes on his sleeves, sleeves that led down to hands and fingers wrapped poorly in bandages.

“G-Gabe?” Jack’s voice was hoarse, barely able to break through the thrum of rain around them.

“Hold on!” Gabriel called back. Looking around, he found a wall of ivy creeping up beside Jack’s balcony. A brief tug shook the plant uneasily but proved to the businessman it was enough to hold his weight. Putting one foot up into the mass of plants, he began to climb.

“Gabe don’t – it’s slippery!”

Gabriel ignored the warning, all attention focused on placing one foot above the other and looking for sturdy handholds. The climb wasn’t high, and before he knew it, Jack was reaching for him and pulling him into the small apartment full of flowers.

Closer now, the businessman could see the state of his fingers, badly wrapped, with smatterings of blood scattered across their white surface. And his face…There was a dark red mark on the side of Jack’s face, as if he’d been hit. Gabriel cradled his chin, thumb drifting across the new addition to pale skin.

“Who did this?” he asked.

Jack swallowed and pursed his lips. A brief shake was his answer, eyes closed, another stream of tears falling from his eyes. The businessman could see him grit his teeth, summoning all effort to remain calm when the threads that held him together seemed close to snapping.

“Jack,” Gabriel said. He nudged the blond further into the apartment, hands never leaving the others face. “Jack, tell me who.”

“It doesn’t…” Jack heaved. He tried to recompose himself, wiping his eyes and nose with sleeves left, then right. “It doesn’t matter. It was just – no never mind, let me take your coat—”

The wind from the open window was enough to make Gabriel shiver, but that could wait, everything could wait. He wouldn’t let Jack avoid the subject, not when it was this severe. Not when it created star dappled trails of tears down his cheeks. He grabbed the blond’s wrist in his hands, preventing Jack from squirming away or from taking his coat, and pulled him close.

“Jack.” He said. “Tell me.”

He could see the emotions that flitted across Jack’s face, the denial, frustration, and then defeat. The blond planted his face in Gabriel’s shoulder, heedless of the rain drenched state of his clothes.

“I can believe many things,” Gabriel assured.

“Would you?”

Gabriel wound his arms around Jack, holding him firmly against his chest. “Yes.”

He can feel the silence weigh heavily on the man in his embrace and he wound his arms tighter around Jack, trying to convey in actions what he could not in words; that he was here, that he would be here for whatever Jack needed.

“It was your mother.”

The words, said with such abruptness, caused Gabriel to stiffen. No, she wouldn’t. But…she would; the businessman recalled the way his mother had been when he left the house. The cold carelessness in which she had asked if Gabriel was going out. He pressed Jack closer, almost as if he could push the blond inside himself if he tried.

“What did she do?” He gritted out. Curse it. Had she been the one to hurt Jack? What did she say to him? What sort of poison did she pour into this slice of heaven away from her dark and grey world? The questions flooded his mind with no sign of stopping, his breath held in his lungs as he waited for Jack’s answer.

“She broke a vase of flowers,” Jack began. “And she told me to stay away from your or…” the blond leaned back, showing his badly bandaged hands. “I would regret it.”

Anger boiled within Gabriel, it festered high in his lungs till he thinks he will burst with it. Instead, he took Jack’s hands with a narrowed brow and led the blond to the worktable where he could see remnants of bandages and scissors left out. He sat Jack down on the couch and settled himself at his knees. With a slightly shaking hand, he undid the bandages around pale fingers and rewrapped them tighter, cleaner. That done, he kissed each pale fingertip and pressed them to his face.

“I’m sorry,” Gabriel whispered. “This was never supposed to happen.”

“No?”

Gabriel looked up. Jack’s red face watched him. There was no judgement, just expectancy.

“What…” Gabriel trailed off as one of Jack’s hand rested on his cheek, injured fingers smoothing over the creases at the corner of his eyes.

“A week ago,” Jack said. “A woman came in to buy some flowers.” The blond swallowed, as if the effort to speak pained him. But he sighed, letting the next words fall between them like stones. “It was for a wedding.”

“I don’t…”

“Her name was Selene.” Jack finished.

It struck Gabriel then. Jack knew, had always known that he was engaged.

“Jack, it’s nothing—”

“Nothing?” Jack interrupted. Tears fell unbidden, the blond swiped them away impatiently. “Is it nothing? Look me in the eye Gabriel, and tell me that you aren’t engaged to _her_. That all of this—” he gestured to the room around them “—isn’t just some… _fancy_ of yours to use as you please! Because if it isn’t…if it isn’t…” his blue eyes fell shut. “Then leave me…and let me forget.”

“Never!” Gabriel snarled, he grabbed Jack’s hands, placing them over his heart. “None of this is just – just some passing thing. I swear to you, Jack. I may be engaged to Selene, but I don’t feel anything for her.”

“Gabe…”

“Jack.” Gabriel drew them together, pressing his forehead to Jack’s. “I came today to tell you that I want to be with _you_. And I won’t let my mother’s plans, or this unwanted _marriage_ , stand in my way.” He placed a hand on Jack’s cheek, wiping away a tear that drew a path down his skin. “Jack, tell me I didn’t imagine the other night. Tell me I didn’t imagine the way you looked at me all those times before and tried to hold me. Tell me and for you, I will rewrite the stars, just to be with you.”

He could see the moment Jack cracked. It was like the shattering of a glass wall, beginning as fractures as thin as spider’s thread, only to grow and grow till they were the size of ravines. Jack fell into him then, and Gabriel caught him, his friend at first, now something more.

In the shelter of an apartment filled to the brim with flowers, a single candle flickered. But for the two men within its space, it was all the warmth they need. Skin moved against skin, hands sliding wet garments down shoulders and onto the floor.

Gabriel pressed kisses into Jack’s golden hair, into the pale skin and tear bitten eyes. He pressed them to the corner of pale lips shivering around gulps of air, and swore to himself that he would do whatever must be done to protect this slice of heaven.

And Jack, pressed kisses to rich chocolate skin and traced the lines of muscles that made up the man in his arms. His touches are reverent and desperate, eager to leave their mark and to make this _real_ – to make this _forever_.

Outside, the rain continued to fall.

**~ V. ~**

_“Thank you for all you’ve done for me, but it’s time._

_It’s time I made my own way.”_

It was raining again. It was always raining now.

It wasn’t enough to stop Gabriel from visiting Jack – and visit, he did. On most afternoons, he could be seen with the blond, helping him with arrangements and trying to sneak kisses behind the shop counter.

Jack’s hands were healing well. He was a bit slow now, due to the bandages, but still just as adept in his craft as the first day they met. Gabriel helped whenever he was able, soothing the ache and staying close when he could. There was much that needed to be done, but for now, the two basked in the time they spent together. Little touches of affection, head nuzzles and hugs that made Jack laugh, a blush creeping from his cheeks, to his ears and down below the neckline of his shirt. Gabriel lived for these moments and the happiness it brought, filling his soul like a cup and overflowing it with light.

To his supposed fiancée, Gabriel asked Selene to meet. He did not want to hurt the woman as she had little say in the arrangement – perhaps even less than he. To his surprise, a look of relief crossed her face when he spoke of calling off their marriage. She admitted to being reluctant, but for her family and her own wellbeing, she had kept quiet. They parted with the promise to speak again, to settle this unwanted event over their lives, and to even talk as friends.

To his mother though, Gabriel had made his intentions clear weeks ago when he returned from Jack’s home, proclaiming that he wanted to make his own way. He wanted to live his life as he made it out to be, not behind a marbled wall with people who only cared about him for his money. His mother was less than happy with the arrangement, but to his and Jack’s joint surprise, she did nothing.

She curled her lips of course, a frown burrowing deep in her brows. But other than a quick turn of her back and ‘do as you see fit’, she made no move against them.

It should’ve been the first sign.

It was a misty day when it happened, the cold weather giving out to humid air that clouded the streets.

Gabriel, for one of the rare moments these days, was at the Reyes home, working on documents. It was his hope that if he could prove to his mother that he was capable of being independent, she would let him go more willingly. He still feared her temper, anyone who crossed her did, but he was hoping that with time, she would warm up to new ideas.

He had left Jack with the promise to return at night after he had settled this, and for a while, things were uneventful. There was nothing but the scratching of his pen and the churning of his thoughts as he read through the papers and sorted their problems.

It was the soft thudding of footsteps that shook Gabriel from his concentration. He looked up from his desk, pen poised, just as his mother rounded the threshold of his room and paused. She had an oiled cloak around her shoulders, a broad brimmed hat on her head. With one hand she gestured for Gabriel to go to her.

“Walk with me, my son.” Was all she said.

Confused by the sudden demand, Gabriel stood and followed the matriarch. Madam Reyes did not rush, but kept a slow languid pace that her son could keep up with. A servant rushed to provide the young businessman with his coat and hat and the elder woman even had the patience to wait as he donned both.

Together, they left the mansion and Gabriel trailed his mother to the black automobile chugging gently at the foot of their steps. Madam Reyes waited as her son boarded the vehicle first before following, adjusting her skirts around as she sat. Finally, she tapped the roof of the car, and with a jolt, they were off.

For a while, they travelled in silence, broken only by the rhythmic clinking of metal as the automobile rolled its way through the town. Gabriel watched the sceneries pass as they moved, trying to deduce the reason behind his mother’s sudden actions.

“You’re thinking quite hard, Gabriel.” She commented.

“Forgive me, mother.” Gabriel returned. “It’s rare we go out together these days.”

And it was true. Unless they were going to meetings such as for arranged marriages, they no longer sat together in the same car, much less the same room. His mother had made no effort to hide her displeasure at the state of current events and Gabriel found it exhausting to be around her negative demeanour.

“Can you fault me for trying to spend time with my son?” she asked.

“Of course not.” But Gabriel thought it was anything but that. His mother never acted without reason, whether or not that reason was for business, or for personal gain, was yet to be seen. He refocused on the scene around them, admiring the way greenery still thrived despite the cold weather.

A trellis here, a peeking grass there.

The town drifted past his open window and it wasn’t until they were drawing to a stop that Gabriel began to recognise where he was. The realisation didn’t come suddenly, not like the many times before. Only the red-and-white awning remained intact, serving as an indicator. But everything else…

Gabriel’s eyes widened.

Broken glass littered the street across from where they had parked, a stark contrast to the pristine road he had been by just that morning. Golden lettering, once depicting the name of the shop, glittered on fragments scattered far and wide. Flowers were trampled or left bruised in smashed vases and broken pots.

The once bright and colourful shop of Morrison’s Flowers was no more, leaving the district grey and dark.

“Jack.” Heedless of his mother in the next seat, Gabriel swung the car door open, nearly falling into the street. Catching himself, he ran to the broken shop. A policeman tried to stop him, his dark navy uniform blending into the suddenly empty world.

“Hold young man! This place is under investigation!”

“Jack!” Gabriel called, heedless of the arms on his shoulders. He had to find Jack, he couldn’t be…He couldn’t _be_ – but Gabriel couldn’t finish the thought. The words failed him, instead replaced by a rising panic that choked him like a noose. “Where’s Jack!?”

“Mr. Morrison is currently recuperating at the hospital,” the man replied. “I am told he was injured in the altercation.”

_No._

“Altercation? What altercation?” Gabriel demanded. He rounded on the officer, breath heaving in his lungs. “What happened here?”

“One question at a time, sir.” The officer sighed, pulling a notebook from his uniform. He flicked through the pages. “Around midday today, a group of thugs invaded Mr. Morrison’s shop and caused a mess. Mr. Morrison himself tried to stop them and was hurt in the process, police were called to the scene shortly after. By the time we arrived, the thugs had already left and the shop owner was sent off to the hospital. We’re still investigating and compiling the damage.” He closed his notebook and shook his head then. “Though if you were to ask me, there’s nothing to investigate. Thugs ran off with the shop’s money and the damage speaks for itself. Let’s hope Mr. Morrison has insurance, this mess is…bad.”

The officer walked away, leaving Gabriel to stare at the wreckage that was his heaven. In some part of his mind, he had not accepted it yet. He could still see the counter where he was just that morning, putting out a vase of lilies that he had arranged with Jack. He had kissed the blond and promised to return that night.

Now the vase of lilies lay in a pile before the counter, their petals sodden and torn.

And Jack…Jack was hurt in a nearby hospital. He had to go to him, make sure he was okay. Gabriel inhaled deep, trying to calm his rattled nerves. That’s right, Jack still needed him. They would sort this out and start over. Everything would be alright. Everything would be—

“Gabriel.”

He looked up.

Across the road, his mother stood by the black car. Her face was void of emotion, but – was Gabriel imagining it – a smile of satisfaction tugged at the corner of her lips, causing her face to twist just-so at the sight of devastation. The realisation struck Gabriel like a bullet; she had planned this.

The destruction to Jack’s shop.

Anger surged, deep and dangerous within him. It threatened to overwhelm him, made him want to do something rash, crazy, anything to knock his mother down a peg. The fury must have shown on his face, for Madam Reyes nodded and re-entered the car, leaving the door open for Gabriel to join her.

The young businessman did so with clenched fists and stuttered steps. Once inside the vehicle he slammed the door shut and rounded on her.

“You did this.” He accused.

“I will neither confirm nor deny that,” Madam Reyes answered.

The car started again, chugging its way through the misty streets.

“Why? Jack is no threat to you!” Gabriel snarled.

“Is he not?” she returned. “You know that in our line of work Gabriel, that when a competitor arises, they must be treated as a threat – or else, we stand to lose everything.”

“Jack is not one of your stock market businesses!” Louder he added. “You destroyed his home!”

“And his life’s work, I would expect.”

Gabriel stiffened.

“He didn’t tell you, did he?” Madam Reyes inspected her nails. “His little flower shop was the realisation of his dream – a pretty… _small_ , dream if you asked me.” Her eyes shifted, glancing sidelong at her son. “I wonder what he would think if he knew a Reyes had employed the men who destroyed his _everything_.”

As if on cue, his mind summoned every image of Jack – bright sunshine Jack – his face turned into one of horror when he would find out the Reyes family had indirectly attacked his shop. Would he turn it on Gabriel? He wondered. The very thought that Jack might fear him, _hate_ him even – was too much to bear. But, no—

This is just what his mother wanted. Damn it, she knew how to get under his skin.

“Even if he knew, he’d blame _you_.” Gabriel snapped. “He knows what you _do_.”

“You think he’ll still have faith in you.” Although a statement, Madam Reyes raised it as a question.

“I know he will.” His voice shook.

“Then let me put it this way Gabriel.” Madam Reyes shifted, turning to meet the fiery gaze of her son. In them, Gabriel saw a shadow so complete in its iron will that he shuddered. And her next words, reverberated in his bones. “You can go back to him, after this… ‘scene’, and he will welcome you back. Until he finds out what the Reyes family has done. He’ll trust you on the outside, but internally he’ll question himself constantly, he’ll wonder if there’s more coming – every day, every night. And more _will_ come. I’ll tear his little shop down over and over again if I have to, and he’ll lose faith in you eventually. You’ll argue with each other, hate each other even. And at the end of it all…well.” She turned away. “Our home is always open to you.”

 _Home_. To marble halls void of any colour.

“You would waste money on something so small,” Gabriel said. His hands trembled in his lap. He could see it play out; his mother was a woman of her word, she would do it. Jack’s smile, his sunshine hair, turning white with age, the corners of his eyes creasing, furrowing, until he was snarling at Gabriel – day in and day out. His hate, so great even in his imagination, that Gabriel’s heart wailed in despair. Everything – his happiness, his peace – all gone, not in minutes. But in days, in weeks. Months.

“A price to pay, for our future.” Madam Reyes dismissed. She raised a hand and their car ground to a stop.

Gabriel looked up. The mist that blanketed the streets made everything different; shapes lurked in the corners of his sight and in them, his mind conjured fears that were better left hidden. Across from their car, a building loomed from the empty street, a plaque across it’s white walls stating that it was the local hospital.

“Go to him,” Madam Reyes said.

Gabriel got out of the car and climbed the steps of the hospital. Outside, he was silent. But inside, his mind churned and his heart shook on a precipice.

“Jack Morrison?” The nurse had a name tag that read Angela. “This way please.”

She led him down the empty halls to a room lined with cots. At the far end, Jack sat on his assigned bed, hands wrapped in thick casts that reached to his elbow. The blond was staring at them with a distant look that, in Gabriel's mind, put him further away than he was.

However, once Jack caught sight of Gabriel though, the blond’s face erupted into one of joy, arms stretching to the businessman.

He couldn’t quite wiggle his fingers in the cast, but he tried.

A small smile crept across Gabriel’s face at the sight. He walked into the embrace, smoothing his hands over the golden hair, as soft as a dream.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Jack said.

The blond melted against him, nose pressed deep into Gabriel’s chest, then his shoulder as the businessman sat down on the bed. Gabriel returned the embrace, trailing his fingers down Jack’s body, gentle as a wisp’s touch.

“How are you?” Gabriel asked. Because it was the only thing he could ask. The only words his mouth could form while his brain still ran a mile a minute. He cursed himself for leaving Jack to face the thugs alone, and he cursed his mother too, for doing this to him. At the same time, he was afraid too. It reached down in him and sat like a waiting lion around his gut. What would Jack think when he found out? What would Jack do?

“Hurts.” Jack groaned.

Gabriel took one of Jack’s arms, weighing the cast in his hand. “How bad?”

"They broke my wrists.” The blond sighed, his blue eyes downcast. “Gabriel, I…I can’t arrange flowers like this.”

The rest of Jack’s words trailed away into nothingness, drowned out by the thoughts that swirled in Gabriel’s mind. And in its place, his mother’s words came back to him, clear as a needle drop in a silent room.

 _His life’s work_. _His dream._

With both wrists broken, Jack couldn’t tend to his flowers or his shop. Gabriel had seen how much he struggled with stiff fingers wrapped in bandages, now the blond's entire arm was tied in a cast. He wouldn’t be able to fulfil that which brought him so much joy and completion. And Gabriel had aided – maybe not directly – in his mother’s attempts at destroying Jack’s dream. His selfish desire to be with the blond put him in danger.

He should’ve known his mother would act.

And if he did not stop now, she would act again.

Gabriel wouldn’t destroy Jack’s dream.

 _He can’t_.

Jack was still talking, unawares of Gabriel’s internal conflict. But he paused when the businessman pressed a hand to the side of his face, and brought him close. He seemed to have sensed something, if his furrowed brow was anything to go by.

“Gabriel?” he asked.

In answer, Gabriel kissed his temple. A graze of his lips on the pale skin, feather soft, but that burned Jack inside and out. The blond reached for him, fingers tangling in Gabriel’s coat as he stood.

“Gabriel?” Jack tried again. “Gabe?”

Gabriel unlatched the reaching fingers, dropping them gently back onto the bed.

“Gabe talk to me, please.”

He turned, avoiding looking into the blue eyes – knowing that they would be watching him with all the colours of a summer sky – and began walking away.

“Gabe!” Jack yelled.

Gabriel did not stop. Stiff shouldered. Stiff legged. He focused on one foot before the other.

“ _Gabe!_ ”

He heard the break before he felt it, a cold blast in the room that would sweep his sunshine away. But Gabriel couldn’t turn back. His own heart lay at his feet, as dead as the rose in a waste bin basket.

“Goodbye.”

**~ VI**. ~

After seeing Jack at the hospital, Gabriel returned to his mother and she made him promise never to usurp her again. He agreed to all her plans and married who she pointed the finger at. Never once did he return to Jack’s shop or seek him out, fear and shame causing him to avoid that place like the plague.

He became a shell of his former self, running from point to point on the whim of another. His new wife was understanding, for she was in a similar boat as he. Selene tried her best to console him, every night, every day. And Gabriel tried, he tried so hard to make it bearable for them both.

He tried to find that heart-felt tug with her that he found with Jack.

He tried to find that soaring feel and the tenderness.

He tried to find that four letter word that would colour his world.

But he couldn’t find it. Not in her. And she accepted that and cared for him anyway. They spoke long and hard, agreeing that what they had would never pass the threshold of friendship. It wasn’t what they wanted, but they learnt to be satisfied with what they have.

And while Gabriel’s relationship with his wife grew to a point where they could both hold, his relationship with his mother deteriorated. He never spoke to her other than the few words that were needed and only when absolutely necessary. Social calls, holidays and birthdays went ignored unless they were for business matters.

Once she showed up at the door of his new house. A ‘family visit’, she called it, only to be turned around by their servants, claiming the couple were not home. Gabriel didn’t learn that she regretted her actions until only after years later, and by then her apology meant nothing to him.

As for Jack. He disappeared like he had never been.

Two years into his marriage with Selene, Gabriel returned to Morrison’s flowers. He wanted to steal a look. Just a brief look, to make sure Jack was alright and thriving, only to find the shop gone. Perhaps it was fate that Angela found him there that day, staring at where the shop used to be. Seeing his confused and shattered look, she invited him for tea.

It was through her Gabriel learnt that Jack had left. With both his hands – and his heart – broken, he fell into deep depression, unable to recover and recreate the flowers that used to brighten that part of their district. Angela had tried to help, but even with her knowledge of medicine, it was not enough.

One day, a group of men knocked on Jack’s door. They wore the uniform of the army; dark navy coats over white shirts and pants. They presented the blond with a pamphlet and asked him if he would sign up for the war that had begun raging overseas.

“ _We need brave men like you to help our allies on the front_.” They said.

And Jack, despite Angela’s protests, signed himself up.

“ _My hands are no use here_.” He said. “ _Maybe they are better off helping elsewhere._ ”

Within a month, he had packed up shop, sold the apartment, and departed for training. He left nothing but a letter that Angela drew out from her drawer in her quaint kitchen on the outskirts of town.

“He asked me to burn it when he left,” she said.

‘ _To Gabriel’_ it read.

Gabriel took it, thanked Angela for her time, and returned home.

He read the letter by candlelight.

Trembling fingers cracked open the wax seal and unfolded the letter that Jack had written to him minutes before he departed. They read,

_Dear Gabriel,_

_How have you been? It’s been a while since we’ve talked. I hope you’re well and taking care of yourself. Congratulations on your marriage, by the way. I’m sorry it’s late, but I didn’t find out until later._

_But enough of that. I’m writing to you because there are thoughts I need aired out before I go overseas. So without further ado;_

_Gabriel, I know it was your mother that planned the attack on my shop. I know now that she hired the thugs that burgled my home and broke my wrists, and I know she said something to you that made you leave._

_I think your mother threatened me, and to protect me, you did as she said. It would be just like you. I knew you would never hurt me – and that’s why you did what you did._

_And that’s what hurt me the most. I cannot describe the pain it put me through; like a knife in my gut, every time I thought of you. Did you know that I still see you? Now and then, in the distance, when you’re with Selene and walking down the street. I always think of walking up and telling you what you did to me._

_I wanted to tell you that it hurt. It hurts that you never talked to me. You chose for the both of us without letting me have a say when I could’ve helped you. You know I never would’ve blamed you; not for the thugs, and not for trying to do the right thing. I would’ve stood by your side no matter what your mother threw at us._

_It didn’t matter if I never got to make another bouquet, didn’t matter if my hands stayed broken all my life._

_All I wanted was you._

_My emotions clouded me for a long time and I wanted to be angry at you. I still do. Nobody should be left with a broken heart while their home is in pieces and their hands cannot support them._

_But I realise now. It wasn’t your fault, it never was. You cared for me and held me when the nights were dark. You made flowers and laughed and joked with me till the sun shone over the horizon. You gave me memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life._

_And for that, I want to say I’m sorry. I’m sorry for my anger. I’m sorry for being the one to push you into that corner. I’m sorry for not being able to make you happy._

_I hope you can find that happiness somewhere else. Within someone whom your mother will approve so that you can live a life free. I hope that you’ll be able to hold them close, and kiss them in the kitchen the way you did with me. I hope you can love them with your hands untied and heart soaring free. I hope you’ll live till you’re old and grey with a smile on your face._

_I will pray for it every day._

_I never told you, but I love you Gabriel._

_Signed,_

_Jack Morrison._

_P.S. It’s funny. Now that I think about it. Do you remember the time we went to the flower field? I thought of kidnapping you then. Sounds absurd, doesn’t it? But I never stopped wondering if it would have changed things._

Gabriel folded the letter closed and put it aside. His vision was swimming and he could feel the trails tears left in their wake as they slid down his cheeks. He never forgot the field either.

And if he could go back, he would tell Jack to take him away.

**~ VII. ~**

_Ten years later_.

Gabriel tied his horse and cart to the fence and tugged the tack once to make sure he had secured it properly. When it showed no sign of giving, he left the mare and began walking.

Years ago, he walked this same path with a florist who glowed brighter than the sun. Now he made the trek alone, a flower basket with shears in one hand. Long gone is the apparel of a businessman, now Gabriel Reyes moved in comfortable shirt and trousers.

It has been a long journey.

And none of it had been easy. Three years ago, he divorced his wife of seven years. He and Selene, although satisfied, were not happy. They wanted more than their life offered, and when their parents finally stepped back, the two did not hesitate to take charge. They had a daughter between them by then and when they parted, she was equally cared for by her mother’s new family and her florist father.

That’s right. Reyes’ Flowers now had a place in the middle of town, recolouring the once grey streets with their many blooms and smells. Departing from the business empire and a life governed by others had been difficult, but Gabriel did not regret the choice he made.

Even now, he was still recovering from the scars over his heart. And the flowers that he surrounded himself with went far to heal those wounds. They would never truly erase what had been done, but they soothed the ache long enough for him to breathe.

And today was Gabriel’s day off. A rare instance where the florist planned to restock his shop with something wilder. So, through the trees he weaved, boots crunching over the layer of amber leaves that littered the floor. A single set of boots when there used to be two -- their sound could be heard around.

His mind was empty as it always were when he came here. Like entering a different world, a veil surrounded the flower field, shrouding it with a silence only disturbed by the rustling grass and distant song of birds. It made Gabriel think of wading through a cloud, and he never thought to disturb it.

Part of it he knew, was due to fear.

Even ten years later, and he had yet to overcome it. Because this was where he had held something precious. Once, and never again. And in the silence, he could imagine that the field never moved on. Always in the same place, protecting and keeping the memory of his younger days alive.

He adjusted the basket on his arm. Somewhere inside him, Gabriel knew it was all superstition. There was nothing here in this field, except a silence that he one day hoped would break, freeing him from the past.

Suddenly, raindrops dribbled through the canopy above. Gabriel held his hand out, feeling the fat droplets crash into his palm. They would be joined by more soon, he mused. With that, he hurried through the forest that buffered the path between road and field. If luck allowed, he could gather his flowers before he was drenched to his skin.

But when he reached the edge of the field, the cloud that had once shrouded the place was gone. A stranger stood in the empty field with his back to Gabriel.

The man’s hair was the colour of moonlight, and on his back, a sepia brown coat floated in the wind. His posture was military, but with a rounded edge to his shoulder that hinted at burdens carried.

For a while, neither of them moved. The stranger, unawares of the watcher at the edge of the woods. And Gabriel, afraid of disturbing this new scene and what it could potentially bring. There was something about him that Gabriel couldn’t quite place. It was as if he’d seen this exact image before, but in his mind. The kind of image that was fogged over by imagination and the thick emotions that one would weave within. As if he had hoped to see this scene, but never could quite get himself to see it to the end.

Then the man turned.

And it was like the silence had broken.

Blue eyes widened in a face wrinkled with age. Scars crossed the pale features, the largest one beginning from the top of the left eye to reach down into his right cheek. A smaller one ran parallel to it, cutting across pale pink lips and curling them into a constant snarl.

It was Jack.

A little different, a little older. But it was him.

Gabriel couldn’t believe it. The breath left him as if he’d been punched and all he could do was try to hold himself up as he doubled over. There was relief, happiness, sadness… _longing_ , all bubbled together with his memories and they were surging – surging like a water in a fountain ready to burst. He didn’t even realise he was laughing, the sound so foreign to his own ears that it left him at a loss for words.

Who knew that fates could change? That stars could be rewritten? And there was Jack, standing in the same place, letting rain pour down his back just as Gabriel did when they first met. Almost unconsciously his hand reached out to the stranger on the field.

“Jack!” he called.

Like a spell broken, the man moved. But not towards Gabriel.

Instead, he moved away.

“ _Jack!_ ” Gabriel yelled.

He didn’t mistake the look that passed over Jack’s features before he ran. How could he? The fear was bright on his face, as blinding as the sun he used to take after. And Gabriel, dropping his basket and everything behind, took off after him.

Ten years. Gabriel’s been thinking of this for ten years.

These sensations, the journey. The why's and what's. The memory of visiting Jack in the middle of that night, and to kiss him the way he did. Wondering, always wondering what could’ve happened if he had chosen a different path. If he had managed to stand up to his mother and held Jack by his side.

He's been reminiscing. Of how those lips tasted every time they kissed. He's been thinking of what-ifs, and all of it was crashing down on him now. The answers, the _solutions_.

Gabriel catches up with Jack in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a golden field that heaved in soft ripples as fur does on a cat’s back. He grabs his hand and pulls the other man into his chest, crying as they tripped and fell, rolling down the small slope and scattering loose leaves in their wake.

He pins Jack down as the once-blond struggles, an arm over his wet eyes and snivelling nose as he tries to dislodge Gabriel. Holds him tight, arms an iron band around his waist, as Jack rolled them over and tries to run again.

Gabriel takes the slaps, the hits, the tears in his shoulder as Jack screams to be let go – even as his fingers tangle in Gabriel’s shirt, right where he used to hold, all those years ago. And embrace him he does; when Jack shatters, hands over his scarred face and cries tearing his body apart, Gabriel is there to catch him, weaving himself like a net around this man who had once been his sunshine.

And still is.

“I never told you before, Jack. _I love you_.”

And he’ll bring Jack home, to the apartment above a flower shop chocked full of growing things.

He’ll sit Jack down by the stove and make him stew, kiss him sweetly when he shakes and soothe the nightmares when they come. Gabriel will listen to Jack’s story on the war front, living from fox hole to fox hole trying to find a meaning in the gun he pointed across a lifeless line. And he’ll tell Jack of his endeavours these past few years, his estrangement from his mother and a daughter who he loves.

He’ll carve out a place for Jack and make it his heaven as it once was for him. Colour the world of red and black that Jack’s world had been reduced to and give him a place to sleep.

Gabriel makes a promise to himself then, to never leave Jack’s side and to stay with him for as long as stars do shine. And the happiness it fills him with, when Jack finally makes his own bouquet with shaky hands broken to a gun – the blue eyes crimpling with joy, scars stretched so beautifully as he laughed his first genuine laugh in years – will follow him till he was old and grey.

**~ end. ~**


End file.
